The Truth
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: When the Hargreeves siblings go back in time, they went back believing they had seen and experienced their Father at his worse... little did they know, they had just scraped the surface.
1. Chapter 1

On October 1, 1989, 43 women around the world give birth simultaneously, despite none of them showing any sign of pregnancy until labour began. Six of the children are adopted by eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

Klaus Addams was not one of these people…. At first.

However, in hindsight, this was for the better. Gomez and Mortica were thrilled at the unexpected, new addition to their family.

"Klaus." Mortica gently pried tiny fingers away from her hair, "Behave yourself my little devil."

Gomez chuckled, wriggling his fingers in front of his son's face, watching as Klaus practically crossed his eyes trying to focus on them.

"Ex-cuse Me Please."

The pair turned as Lurch slowly made his way through the crowd, handing Mortica a bunch of headless flowers.

"Oh Lurch, they're lovely." She pricked her finger on one of the thorns and beamed in delight, "Are these from your garden? These thorns came in lovely!"

Lurch beamed, shuffling shyly from side to side.

No-one noticed how Klaus's eyes seemed to focus on something unseen in the corner.

"I know this was very unexpected for everyone…" Gomez began, "… but on behalf of my son, we would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!"

"What about my gift!"

Grandmama tottered up, beaming at her daughter-in-law and new grandson. "I've been preparing this one for quite some time."

Knowing that Grandmama's blessings were some of the best around (and her curses the worst), everyone watched with bated breath as she waved some hemlock over the baby, muttering a few Latin phrases.

"It is done." Grandmama then kissed the baby on the forehead, "He is blessed."

"Thank you Grandmama." Mortica then turned to her husband and handed Klaus over, "Mind his head dear."

"… I forget how small they are."

Klaus was clearly thrilled to be in his Dad's arms, reaching up to try and grab Gomez's moustache, before his eyes turned to something else, tiny hands reaching out for that instead. After a couple minutes of contented silence, Klaus eventually yawned.

"Sweet nightmares my little surprise."

"How sentimental…"

Everyone turned to the entrance of the room, frowns on their faces at the sight of the unfamiliar man standing there.

"The door was open…" the man walked further into the room, "… I believed it to be an open invitation." He strode right up to Gomez and Mortica, holding out his hand.

"Reginald Hargreeves."

Slowly, Gomez returned the handshake, "How do you do…" he began, "… my apologies, but do we know you?"

"No." Reginald then focused in on Klaus, "A surprise, wasn't he? You didn't start the day pregnant I believe."

Eyes all around the room narrowed, and you would have to have been an idiot not to notice the tension building in the room.

This Reginald was either just that or ignoring them.

"Forty- three women suddenly pregnant, and forty-three surprise babies… For those who have survived, I believe they have or will be all blessed with gifts that can benefit society, and possibly prevent the end of the world. Which is why I am here."

It was then that he seemed to notice how Klaus was focused on something on the other side of the room.

"Now, what are you looking at?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Uncle Vlad." Mortica smiled, a dangerous undertone to it, "He always had a way with babies."

"He can see the dead." Hargreeves smirked, "Fascinating." He then pulled a wallet out of his inner jacket, "How much do you want for him?"

The temperature of the room dropped, and Klaus started to cry.

"I beg your pardon?" Gomez hissed.

"The baby. How much do you want for him?" Reginald glanced around, "More than the others did I gather."

The couple just stared at him, and Hargreeves winced at the large hand that came down on his shoulder.

….

After the humiliation of being thrown out of the home… and out of the gardens by the over-enthusiastic plants, Reginald made a hasty retreat to the motel that he'd rented out.

"Pogo!"

Pogo limped into the room, having had to remain hidden whilst Reginald was out. "No luck Sir?" he asked, frowning as Reginald stormed past him.

"I need him!" Reginald snarled, "This boy is crucial to the apocalypse, I just know it!"

"To stopping it Sir?"

"Yes… to stop it."

The brief pause made Pogo worry.

"They actually seem happy to have him." Reginald took a seat on the bed, "Not like the others, they couldn't wait to get rid of their new-borns… but these, Addam's are acting like this is the greatest thing that's ever happened to them!"

"Is that not a good thing Sir?"

"No, because if my suspicions are correct, this child is going to play a key part in my plans."

He pulled a leather-bound notebook out of his bag, muttering frantically to himself. "I need him…" he kept muttering over and over again, "I need him. Think of the potential!"

"Sir?"

Reginald slammed the book shut, taking a deep breath. "We need that child Pogo… I'm not leaving this city until I have him."

"But Sir, if the family doesn't want to hand him over, how exactly- "Pogo fell silent, suddenly realising what Hargreeves was implying.

"Listen carefully to me Pogo…"

…..

A few days later, night fell over the town.

Klaus was cuddled up to his headless teddy, tiny fingers grasping at the black sheets as he slept peacefully…. Unaware of the shadow creeping across his room.

In the next room over, Gomez and Mortica were startled awake by a loud crash and the cry of a baby.

"Klaus!" Mortica cried out, leaping out of bed and racing towards her son's room, throwing open the door as the rest of the family joined her… only for her to fall back in shock.

"No…" Gomez whispered, when he realised what had shocked his wife so, "… NO!"

"Klaus!" Mortica called out, moving over to the over-turned cradle and the abandoned teddy lying beside it, "Klaus!"

…..

Hearing the bellow coming from the home, Pogo winced and quickened his steps, making sure to avoid the graveyard.

He didn't know what it was, but something told him not to go in there.

He couldn't believe he'd actually done this. From what he'd seen in that house, there was every chance that his punishment would not be swift and merciful. Pushing himself to move faster, Pogo winced at the pain in his legs.

The baby in his arms started to cry as he left the grounds, heading into a nearby alleyway, where a car was waiting for him.

"Just get in the car." Reginald ordered him, "The quicker we're away from here, the better."

"Sir, are you really sure this is such a good idea? If anyone were to find out- "

"- They won't."

As they sped away from the scene, they failed to notice how the baby focused on something else in the back seat.

Something unseen.

"Don't worry kiddo." Vlad whispered, "I'm going to take good care of you."

…

It was tragic…. And not in the good way.

Mortica and Gomez gathered the entire Addams clan together to lead them on a frantic search for their son, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

Klaus Addams was gone, and Number Four had taken his place.

However, if Reginald Hargreeves was expecting something incredible, Number 4 ended up disappointing him.

The apocalypse came and went.

The Hargreeves children went back in time to prevent it… and that's when everything started to change.


	2. Chapter 2

"Careful Klaus… Careful!"

Klaus resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Nag, nag, nag!" he giggled, "This is the first time I've been sober in years, don't you want to see what I can do?"

"Not at the risk of alerting Father to what we're doing." Five sighed, "And he will definitely suspect something if you break that vase."

"Alright, alright." Klaus rolled his eyes, smiling sheepishly as he lowered the vase back down… or at least he tried to.

Unknown to everyone else, everything else labelled as fragile and expensive, had risen into the air as well… and then smashed back down to the ground, the sound echoing throughout the house.

"WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON DOWN THERE?!"

At the sound of their Father, the children all scattered, running off in different directions in an attempt to avoid the man. Ever since they'd come back to this time, Reginald had noticed something was different and was cracking down on them even harder than usual.

Even the slightest perceived insult was given a harsh punishment.

Klaus couldn't remember ever running so fast in his life as he practically flew down a dusty corridor, finding a partially open door and moving to hide under a desk.

And that's when he found the notebook.

…

Hours later, when everything seemed to have calmed down, the other Hargreeve siblings found Klaus sitting on the steps of the house, staring up at the sky as the setting sun caused it to turn different shades of red, pink and purple.

"Klaus?" Vanya cautiously spoke up, "Is… everything okay?"

"I wasn't bought."

The others all turned to one another and frowned in confusion.

"I wasn't abandoned either…" Klaus ran his fingers over the cover of the notebook, "…I was stolen." He handed the notebook over to Five, "Read that."

As Five scanned his eyes over the scribbled writing, the others all crowded around him, trying to read over his shoulder.

"Addams?" Diego asked, "Who are the Addams?"

Before Klaus could answer, Fives spoke up. "Easy to find out…" he gave Klaus a sympathetic look, "… the public library should have something… if they're local."

"And if they're not?"

"Let's… not focus on that."

…..

The library was silent, as was to be expected. Five, Ben, Allison and Vanya poured over the records, as the others hung around, trying to appear as if they were doing something useful.

They weren't.

Especially Klaus, who was starting to click his tongue, needing a cigarette as well as answers.

"Here!" Five suddenly cried out, rolling his eyes as a librarian hissed at him to be quiet, "There was a Gomez Addams, who then got married to a Morticia Frump."

"Any… children?" Klaus whispered.

"Four." Five's voice got quieter and quieter, "Wednesday, Pugsley, Pubert and… " he stopped and frowned, "… unknown boy."

"Let's see!"

Klaus snatched the files away from him, taking a seat on top of the table and focusing on the birth certificate.

No name, but a definite record of a baby, born on his own birthday.

And there was a photo attached.

"I think you have her eyes." Allison whispered over his shoulder, staring down at the photo, "And… is that you?" She pointed at a baby in Morticia's arms.

"T-there's no evidence that they're- "

"- And we have a missing baby report." Five interrupted Klaus, pulling out a sheet of paper, "Or at least a poster."

The same baby had a picture on this poster.

"Apparently he was taken in the middle of the night." Five read the poster, "Look at that reward… they must have really wanted him back. Wanted you back."

"We don't know that- "

"- It's you." Diego interrupted, "You read about being stolen in Dad's notebook, the poster says that he was taken. The birthday is the same and I hate to admit it, but Allison is right. Your eyes look like hers."

"And then there's the name."

Everyone turned to look at Five, who was holding another scrap of paper in his hands, a newspaper clipping.

"Klaus… why did you choose that name? Klaus?"

Klaus frowned in confusion. "Ummmm…. I just… It felt right?"

"And for good reason." Five handed the clipping over to Klaus, "First column, seventh line down."

Glancing down, Klaus scanned the document, only to gasp sharply at what he read.

/Someone took Klaus from us. And we will bring him home. \\\

"Oohhh, now that is freaky." Klaus practically threw the clipping back at Five, "Do you think I'm psychic as well?"

"With all your other powers, I don't see why not. You were sober when you chose your name, so maybe that was a hint of psychic prowess."

Allison was still focused on the photograph. "She looks so happy." She whispered, "Like you're the best thing that's ever happened to her."

"They all look happy." Luther agreed, "Do you think any of our parents felt like that?"

Nobody could say yes with any certainty.

"You know what we have to do, right?" Five piped up, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "We have to find them."

"Yeah!" Klaus leapt up, only to be ssshhed back down, his look of excitement fading into a look of confusion, "How are we going to do that? I've never heard of the Addams family living around here."

"We do some research and find out where they are now then." Five shrugged, "Shouldn't be too hard. By the look of them, they stand out in a crowd."

"And… the whole apocalypse thing? The Commission and all that?"

Five looked pained, but at a nudge from Diego, he sighed. "That… can wait."

"I knew you loved me!" Klaus wrapped his arms around his brother, giggling as the other pushed him away with a grumble.

"Just distract the librarian."

….…..

With the files all successfully stolen, the children all came to an agreement that Five would focus on finding the Addams family, whilst the others distracted Reginald Hargreeves.

"Keep him busy." Five ordered them, "And Klaus… see what else you can do. If we can add psychic powers to the list, then that might come in handy."

"Oui mon capitaine!"

"Stop that."

As Five went to bury himself in his work as best he could, the others all scattering as well, Vanya wen to speak to Klaus.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"When we find them? What are you going to do?"

Klaus was uncharacteristically silent for a few moments, before shrugging. "I don't now… it's been over ten years; they have other children. They probably forgot all about me."

Watching her brother walk away, Vanya shook her head. "I don't think anyone can forget about you Klaus." She whispered, knowing that he couldn't hear her.

Even if he could, it wasn't like he'd listen.


	3. Chapter 3

"Creepy." Luther muttered, going over the pictures of the old Addams home, "It might sound horrible… but I can really see Klaus living in a home like this."

"… Father's a bastard."

Luther turned to Five in shock, "What are you- "

"- think how happy Klaus could have been." Five threw the file to the ground, "And he ended up here, terrified of his own powers and numbing himself to the point of overdose, in order to avoid dealing with them." He glanced over at Luther, "It's bullshit!"

"I- "

Five ignored him and zipped out of the room, leaving a stunned Luther behind.

…

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

Klaus flung himself back against his bed, flinging an arm over his eyes. No matter how sober he was, it seemed like there was still something holding him back.

And then he felt someone touch him on the shoulder.

Squealing and leaping back, Klaus frowned at the sight of the unfamiliar ghost, who was giving him a stunned look.

"Klaus…" the Ghost whispered, "… you can see me?"

"Oh come on!" Klaus whined, "I thought I got rid of all you guys! I thought we came to an understanding?!"

"No Klaus, you don't- "

"- I really don't want to start with the drugs again, so please go and… bother your own family or something!"

"You are my family!"

Klaus was stunned into silence, eyes widening as the ghost moved closer.

"You probably don't remember me, but… I was with you from the beginning. I was there when Hargreeves took you."

"You're- you're an Addams."

The ghost beamed and straightened up, "And proud of it!"

"So… what happened? Why did you- "Klaus stopped, eyes widening in realisation, "- the other ghosts. They were too loud and there were too many of them and- "

"- and by the time I managed to make myself heard, you were already high." The ghost shrugged, "Then you travelled back, and I got another chance to help you back home." He then held out his hand, "Call me Uncle Vlad."

Concentrating, Klaus shook his hand. "So… you knew my Mom and my Dad? My actual parents and family?"

Uncle Vlad beamed, "I sure did."

"Can you… tell me about them?"

Uncle Vlad nodded eagerly, taking a seat next to the teen. "Let's start with your Mother… you know, Morticia is one of the most beautiful women I have ever met- "

…

Hours later, there was a knocking on the door, interrupting a story revolving around a demented nanny who married Uncle Fester?

"Klaus?" Ben called out cautiously, "Klaus, is everything okay?"

"Yeah… everything's great." Leaping to his feet, hands glowing blue, Klaus rushed to the door and waved Ben inside, "Ben, I'd like you to meet my Uncle Vlad."

Ben had already started waving, when he suddenly stopped. "I-I know you." He stammered, "You were following Klaus when I first- "

"- I swore to keep an eye on him." Uncle Vlad interrupted, "And keep an eye on him I have."

"Uncle Vlad's gonna help me find the Addams! He's been telling me loads of stories about them and- " Klaus stopped as a sad smile flashed across Ben's face, "- Not that I'm just going to go rushing off with them. And even if they want me to, they can probably adopt the rest of you, right?"

"…. Right."

Ben didn't believe him, but Klaus would set him straight.

He would see.

Klaus wasn't going to abandon his siblings.

….

As the research continued, so did Klaus's training.

This included target practice.

("Just the middle bit! Just the middle bit Klaus!"

"I threw a table! It hit the middle bit!"

"Only the middle bit!")

There was some resistance to the normal exercise routines that their Father had set in place.

("Aerobics? Is he serious?"

"Silence Number Four!")

And then there were the exercises that we just plain rejected.

("No way!"

"It's a good idea. Egg on a spoon, in your mouth as you go along a tightrope… the perfect way to learn control!"

"A lot of eggs were there in the future?")

All the rules started to get confusing after a while

("Rule number ninety-five! Concentr- AAH!"

"… Sorry Five!"

"Rule number ninety-six! AIM!")

However, despite all the setbacks, Klaus started to improve, Uncle Vlad and his siblings cheering by his side.

"Alright." Diego clapped his hands together, as Klaus finally managing to lower everything back down without breaking a single thing, "I-I think the d-doughnut shop is our n-next stop!"

The others all nodded in agreement and moved the sneak out the back door. Not that they really needed to of course, with Reginald out for the day.

"Do you think the Séance still suits me as a superhero name?" Klaus mused as they headed over to the shop, "Maybe I need something a little… bolder. Something more befitting of my charismatic nature!"

"Ghost-Whisperer?"

"The Ouija Board?"

"Spiritman!"

Klaus eagerly accepted every name, nodding in agreement as they moved down the street. However, as they passed an alleyway, Klaus heard someone yelp.

"Did you guys- "

"- hear that?" Ben finished, placing a reassuring hand on Klaus's shoulder, knowing that hearing things that nobody else could was disconcerting, "Yeah. Come on. What's the point in being super-heroes if we can't save people?"

Luther opened his mouth to protest, only to have Allison slap a hand over his mouth, before pulling him to follow the others into the alleyway.

It was clear that the cursing from coming from around the corner, prompting the group to peer round it. Instantly, they could see a large/blading man pinning a younger man against the wall.

"Come on fag!" The larger man was growling, "If you're such a big shot army man, why don't you fight back?!"

The younger man was silent for a few moments, before his right leg shot up, right into the larger man's bollocks, before hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground.

"How's that for being a big shot army man?" he muttered, straightening himself out.

As he turned around, Klaus felt like his heart had stopped in his chest.

"Dave."

Ben turned to him in shock. "What?"

"Dave… he looks like Dave." Klaus's hands moved up to his chest, where Dave's dog tags once hung. Before anyone could stop him, he moved out from around the corner, his usual confident swagger in place. He opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted.

"Kid, you really shouldn't be hanging out in alleyways!" 'Dave' scolded, "What are you even- "

"- I came to help!" Klaus beamed. "I'm a superhero you know."

Most adults would have rolled their eyes and dismissed him, but 'Dave' gave him a fond smile. "Alright, well why don't you- UGH!"

The larger man had recovered from the previous hit, taking advantage of 'Dave's' distracted state and delivering a hit of his own, that sent the man flying to the ground.

"HEY!" Klaus's hands and eyes glowed a bright blue, as the attacker went flying into the opposite wall. With the man out of commission for a few moments, Klaus turned to the Dave look-alike, who stared up at him with wide eyes.

"What the- "

"- Told you I was a hero."

"KLAUS!"

Five suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbing the lapel of his blazer and transporting him to the right, just as the attacker charged.

"Pay attention Klaus!"

"I know, I know!" Klaus waved his hand, sending the attacker flying into yet another wall, "Rule number… whatever."

"Fifteen."

"Is there a rule about showing off? Just a little?"

Five smirked, giving Klaus a fond look. "Don't get carried away." He ordered, before zipping back to the others, who were all cheering Klaus on.

Needless to say, the fight didn't last long, and the larger man raced off.

When it was all over, Klaus winced as he finally noticed the number of ghosts in this one alleyway alone, all screaming at him or groaning in despair.

"Come back to us Klaus." Ben whispered, recognising the look on his brother's face, "Just ignore them."

They were too loud though, and Klaus just felt curling up in a corner and covering his ears as tightly as he could.

"Is he okay?"

It was almost like that feeling you get on a stormy day, when the grey clouds finally disappeared to reveal gorgeous sunshine. The ghosts all seemed to fall quiet, as Klaus turned his attention back to the man he'd saved.

He knew there was no way it could be Dave… didn't stop the grin on his face though.

"Yep!" He bounded away from his siblings, closer to the man, holding out his hand, "Call me Klaus!"

The man smiled softly, returning the handshake. "Klaus? Already revealing your superhero identity?"

As Klaus shrugged, the man chuckled. "David. You can call me David."

He didn't seem to notice how Klaus and the other teens all stiffened up, already turning his attention over in the direction that the man had run away to.

"It's a shame there are still people like that in the world." David sighed, "Thank you for your help… Klaus."

Before Klaus could answer, Ben took his hand and started to tug him back to the entrance of the alleyway. "Come on." He whispered. "We should go."

Klaus could hear the un-said sentence.

He's not your Dave. Don't get attached.

"Nice to meet you." Klaus whispered, before allowing himself to be pulled away, "Bennie! You don't need to pull so hard! I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Once they were out of earshot, the siblings all crowded around Klaus, concerned looks on their faces.

"Be honest." Diego frowned, "Did he really look like your Dave or- "

Klaus nodded, cutting Diego off.

"Don't get distracted." Five sighed, not sounding as sympathetic as he possibly should have, "There's no way it's this Dave, it's a coincidence. We have bigger things to think about."

"Wow Five." Klaus muttered, "Way to be comforting."

He didn't argue though, and let himself be led away.


	4. Chapter 4

Watching as Klaus and his… friends (?) walked away, David couldn't help but smile fondly. It was a little bit of light in what had been a dreary day… week…. Month.

Ever since waking up from a coma a little over 3 months ago, with no friends or family by his side, David could honestly say that life sucked, just a little bit. If he remembered anything about his past life, then maybe he would have somewhere to start, but there was nothing.

And now he had a job interview to attend.

Applying for the position of assistant for a wealthy man, David was stunned when he walked up the steps to the large home.

Wealthy didn't even seem to cover it.

Knocking on the door, he took a step back when it swung open, with no-one on the other side. "Um,

hello?" He called out, "I'm here for an interview… to see a Mister Hargreeves?"

"David Katz, I assume."

David wasn't ashamed to admit that he jumped slightly at the stern voice to his right, spinning around to face him.

"Hello." He stepped forwards and held out his hand, "Yes, that's me, Mister Hargreeves?"

The hand was ignored. "You have applied to be my assistant, which means that you are to follow my orders, is that something you think you can do."

"Within… reason."

Hargreeves raised an eyebrow, prompting David to rush to defend himself.

"It's just… you hear the horror stories of people going into interviews, and then being sold into sex trafficking and things like that and- "

Hargreeves raised a hand, cutting David off mid-panic-stricken rant. "I assure you, that will not be happening. You will work for me for an agreed sum of $30 an hour, until such a time as I no longer need your services, are we in agreement."

"Ummm, and what will I be doing exactly?"

Hargreeves smirked, "Let's just say… I have a little pest problem."

…..

"How can no-one seriously remember where the Addams family moved to?" Five growled, "I've seen the pictures, they must have been missed by someone!"

"Maybe nobody asked." Luther muttered, "They might have been happy to see them go."

At the ensuing silence, Luther winced, glancing up at his siblings and the hurt look on Klaus's face, "Not that… they were bad or anything."

Klaus seemed to accept this, glancing out of the window as he nibbled on his doughnut, "Hey look Ben, it's Oli!" he stated, pointing out of the window, at a man dressed in a trench-coat, watches hanging on the inside, "Now we know why he resorted to selling drugs."

"Don't even think about it."

"Party pooper."

"Seriously, this is going to be harder than I thought." Five interrupted, bringing Ben and Klaus's attention back to him, "The Addams are a close family, so when they move, they all move!"

"…. Everyone?"

Five nodded, "Coffins and all. The only hope that I think we have is a… Cousin It."

"Cousin It is a good choice." Uncle Vlad confirmed, staring at the doughnuts longingly, "He's got a bit of an accent, but a very nice man nonetheless."

Klaus relayed the information back to Five, who nodded determinedly. "We won't be able to make the journey today, not if we want to avoid Father's curiosity."

They all nodded, although Klaus was slightly disappointed. Finishing off their doughnuts, they listened to the news on the tiny TV in the top corner of the room.

Earthquakes. Floods and the rising crime rate.

None of them would dare voice it out loud, but maybe their Father had the right sort of idea by setting up a superhero team.

Just not children.

Deciding to walk home less than an hour later, the group were all laughing and joking with each… until Klaus felt someone grab his arm, pulling him into a nearby alleyway.

"Hey!" He protested, thinking it was one of his more…. Child-loving ghosts taking advantage of his sober nature and hoping to have some fun with him.

It wasn't.

As all his siblings rushed into the alleyway, they all came face-to-face with a toothless, scraggy-looking man, who was holding Klaus's arm tightly.

"I haven't seen you in a few weeks boy." He snarled, "I thought we were going to sort out a little… deal?"

Klaus paled dramatically, not wanting to look at his siblings, knowing what they were thinking.

Slut.

Whore.

Druggie.

He'd heard them all before.

"Let him go!"

Klaus yelped as Luther suddenly charged forwards, almost throwing the other man to the other end of the alleyway, as Klaus fell back into Diego's arms.

"Woah."

Everyone spun around, to see the man they'd saved earlier standing there in shock.

"Thank God I managed to find you." He began, eyes lingering on a slightly flushed Klaus, before he continued, "When I heard the news, I thought it might have been you lot."

"Heard what news?"

"A building's collapsed, near East and Second, and there are children trapped inside… I thought maybe you'd gone inside to… save someone and ended up trapped."

It didn't sound genuine, and Five narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Before he could say anything however, the rest of his siblings were stepping forwards in interest.

"We could help." Luther piped up, with Diego nodding eagerly, "We could definitely help with that."

"No way, you're just kids and- "

David cut himself off, as all the siblings grouped together, Five reaching out to grab David's arm.

"What are you- "

David cut himself as he felt like he was being sucked through a vacuum, a feeling a nausea rising up in his stomach as it came to an abrupt stop. As he fell to the ground, taking deep breaths, he quickly realised they were just around the corner from the accident.

Hopefully, Mister Hargreeves wouldn't mind that he was a little late getting back to him.

A crowd was already gathering around the collapsed building, sirens filling the air.

"HELP! We can't breathe!"

"HURRY! We're suffocating!"

Dave watched as the group put masks on their faces and rushed over, the tall one taking the lead.

"How are we going to do this?" He asked Five, as Allison and Ben went to deal with the crowd, "I don't think I can lift all these rocks. Can you port inside?"

"Not unless I want to end up impaled on bricks."

"So, why don't I do it?"

The brothers and Vanya turned to Klaus, who was staring at the collapsed building intently.

"What?"

Klaus shrugged, "I've been practicing. A few rocks shouldn't be too much trouble, right?"

"We don't know that though." Luther sighed, "And what if you lose your concentration, you could- "

"- He's our best hope though." Five interrupted, "Do it Klaus."

Klaus nodded, stretching his hands out in front of him and focusing. A blue glow surrounded the top rocks, slowly rising into the air, leaving just enough space for the children to get out.

But there was no-one.

Five teleported inside. There was a brief pause, before he walked back out, two young bodies in his arms. It was when Klaus saw the same two children following on, that he knew something was wrong.

He lowered the rocks back down sadly, letting the others deal with the emergency services as he walked over to the two ghosts, "Hey." He whispered, kneeling in front of them, "Everything okay."

The two children clutched at one another, the older one shaking his head.

"Our heads hurt."

Klaus could see the blood staining the back of their clothes. Probably rocks.

"Everything's going to be alright now." Klaus whispered, "Do you see a light?"

The oldest looked around, before nodding slowly.

"Yeah… it's not scary right?"

"No."

Klaus forced himself to smile, "Go on then. Take your brother and go into the light, I promise everything will be all right."

The pair looked into the fair distance, before nodding and moving away. Klaus kept watching until the children disappeared from view.

"Are they alright?"

Klaus nodded, turning to Ben and accepting the one-armed hug from his brother, smiling weakly as the rest of his siblings moved in to comfort him.

Nobody spotted the figure watching from the opposite rooftop.

….

Reginald frowned. It appeared as though Number Four had made leaps and bounds in his training, discovering these new powers and not telling him.

It was worth the death of those two children.

Glancing down, Reginald spotted David on the side lines, watching the group sadly. The man was useful, that much was true. It was obvious he didn't have the stomach to do what needed to be done though.

Hopefully he had the good sense to get out of the way before the real fun began.

….

"Being a hero really s-s-sucks sometimes." Diego muttered, "You did really well though Klaus."

"Not enough to save them though." Klaus sighed, "I remember there being a lot more applause when we used to do this."

Before any of the others could say anything, a loud growl echoed through the streets.

"Someone please tell me that was applause."


	5. Chapter 5

"Someone please tell me that was applause."

Another growl echoed through the streets, sending everyone into a blind panic. In the gap were the wreckage once was, red eyes glared out at them before something started to emerge. It was a hideously huge creature, with leathery grey skin, sharp and yellow-stained teeth with spikes that ran up its' back and long, spindly neck.

Klaus glanced over at Ben, who frowned.

"Don't you dare say it Kl- "

"- Cousin of yours?"

Before Ben could snap an answer back, the creature growled again, and Luther straightened up. "Remain sharp! Alpha motion pattern!"

"Which one was that again?!"

As the crowd ran away screaming, the creature moved closer to the group.

"Shiiiiiiit!" Klaus screamed, as they all danced around the creature, avoiding the determined, sharp teeth, "I don't remember our training involving creatures like this!"

"Shut up and keep running!" Five called out, "LEFT VANYA! GO LEFT!"

Vanya thankfully managed to get away, wincing as the fang just skimmed her, ripping her blazer.

As the creature reared back and roared, Luther spotted a piece of rubble, grabbing it and throwing it at the creature in an attempt to knock it out.

Except, it caught the rubble in its' mouth, shattering it within seconds as a rumble echoed throughout the quarry.

"Did it just laugh at me?!" Luther yelled in frustration, bracing himself as the creature lunged at him, forcing him to grab the fangs in an attempt to save himself. With a ferocious growl, he used all of his strength to throw the creature's neck to the side, giving him a chance to get to a safe distance.

Unfortunately, it picked another target.

Something wet and slimy wrapped around Ben's left ankle and he was thrown into the air…. Straight into the creatures' mouth, who swallowed him with a loud gulp.

"BEN!"

Watching from a safe distance, David winced, hand moving up to his own throat as the creature lunged for the rest of the children… only to stop, almost frowning in confusion, glancing down as several tentacles suddenly ripped through the vulnerable flesh of its neck and decapitated it.

The tentacles then grabbed the neck, smashing it against the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.

As the rest of the body fell to the ground and the tentacles slowly retreated, Ben collapsed to the ground, his siblings all rushing over in concern.

"Ben! Ben!" Klaus held up two fingers, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"… Four?"

"Good enough!"

"No, not good enough." Diego rolled his eyes, helping Ben to his feet, frowning at the sticky green stuff all over him, "C-come on. L-let's get out of h-h-here."

…..

Reginald smirked from his vantage point.

The game was only just beginning.

…..

At the sound of rumbling behind them, the group slowly turned around, eyes wide in alarm.

"That doesn't sound good." Vanya whispered, all of them watching as the body of the creature rose, three heads replacing the decapitated one.

"Yeah, no shit!" Klaus screamed, all of them diving in different directions as the battle started up again.

Five was kept busy as he ported from sibling to sibling, saving many of them from the jaws of one of the heads. Luther and Ben's tentacled bodyguard ripped heads off, left right and centre… and every time it happened, three more heads took their place.

Soon, heads were all they could see.

"WILL YOU STOP IT WITH THE HEAD RIPPING THING!" Five screamed.

"Well, sorry, but this was NOT covered in basic training!"

One by one, the children were pinned to the ground, Luther and Diego under one clawed hand, Vanya and Allison under another and Five and Ben under another. Five had been knocked out after the impact, and even Luther was having trouble lifting the monster.

The only one left was Klaus, and he wasn't faring much better, pinned up against the last standing building, struggling against the clawed grip. In unison, all the heads rose up into the air, fangs at the ready.

"KLAUS!" Everyone screamed down below, "KLAUS!"

Klaus was too busy screaming to hear their screams.

Using his arms to cover his face, he failed to notice his hands glowing that brilliant blue, the bricks behind him slowly starting to glow as well. Seconds before they could tear the boy to shreds, the building started to rumble and crumble, causing them to stop in shock.

As the building collapsed, everyone covered their eyes. The creature had let the others go in their shock, letting the conscious siblings pull the unconscious ones to safety.

"KLAUS!" Vanya coughed, the dust from the collapsed building entering her mouth, "WE NEED TO HELP KLAUS!"

"Wait! Vanya WAIT!"

Allison kept a tight hold of her sister, pulling her back as the dust cleared. All that remained of the building was a large pile of bricks and metal beams.

The only sign that there was even a creature, was the clenched, clawed fist sticking out of the wreckage.

"KLAUS!" Vanya screamed, lightbulbs popping up and down the streets, "NO!"

This time, Allison couldn't stop her, watching as her sister raced over to the wreckage. Ben and Five were slowly coming too, and honestly, Allison wasn't looking forward to their reaction.

…..

Reginald smirked from his vantage point.

Game. Set. Match.

…..….

Dave looked away from the mourning girl, feeling his own eyes fill with tears.

Who ever thought that these children could ever live as superheroes?

As he moved to walk away, a creaking noise filled the air, and everyone turned to the clenched fist of the creature, with many normal citizens starting to panic, believing that the creature had survived the collapse.

However, when the fist unclenched, fingers falling open, a familiar figure in a ripped uniform stumbled to freedom.

"KLAUS!"

Almost immediately, the rest of the siblings were swarming around their brother, Luther supporting him as Klaus's eyes glazed over in pain and weariness. As the crowd cheered all around them, it was obvious that Klaus wasn't going to be able make it home without some serious help.

Luther lifted Klaus into a bridesmaid carry, before they all crowded around Five, the scene eerily familiar to when they escaped the apocalypse.

"I could get used to this kind of treatment." Klaus muttered weakly, as Diego chuckled.

"You deserve it… you did win by a landslide after all."

"Oohhhh, that was a bad one."

….

As the children disappeared, Dave couldn't help but sigh in relief, clapping along with the crowd.

Nobody noticed the clenched fist of the monster shrink until it morphed into a human hand.

Nobody except a rather frustrated Reginald however.

It seemed Number Nine hadn't been up to the task.

….

From then on, the group hardly got a chance to breathe and eat without something cropping up, let alone research where the Addams family had gone. They were on the cover of every newspaper, everyone wanted their autograph, and all of a sudden, new threats were popping up every other day.

Kids who matched Luther in terms of super strength.

One who could smash windows with their screams.

Winged ones that had a nasty habit of grabbing the first kid they saw and dropping them from a great height.

Ones that rivalled Diego in terms of holding their breath underwater.

One girl had snakes for hair.

Soon, local schools around the area were holding plays about them and there was even talk about opening their own brand of drinks and shoes, not just comics and toys.

The months passed, and soon, the children couldn't remember the last time they had a chance to relax.

At this precise moment in time, they were having their handprint's immortalised on the pavement outside the Town Hall. Something which never happened in the original timeline.

Life was good.

…..

Life was not good.

Watching from the rooftops as his ungrateful children bowed to the masses, Reginald growled. After finding numerous other 'special' children, he manipulated them into fighting their 'brothers and sisters', only to watch them fail each and every single time.

Normal children were even starting to wear Umbrella Academy shoes and drink some sugary nonsense.

But it was no good dwelling on the situation.

Something had to be done.

Something had changed, and he was going to find out what.

Making his way back to the house, knowing that the children wouldn't be home for hours, he waited for his newest employee to arrive.

When he did, it was with a beaming grin on his face.

"I hope I'm not late." David apologised, "I was just watching the hand-printing ceremony and- "

"- and you've been sucked into this little craze along with the rest of that snivelling crowd." Reginald snarled, as David took a step back. He forced himself to take several deep breaths, "My apologies… I am merely concerned about them."

The children would trust David over him. He could get them to talk.

"Maybe you can keep them safe." Reginald mused, "Try and talk to them away from al this hero nonsense."

"But- "

"- I'll triple your pay. Consider this your only job for the foreseeable future."

…

"Think about what my parents are going to think when they read about all this in the papers!" Klaus whooped later that night, bouncing on the bed as he read about the Umbrella Academy's latest exploits, "Their son the superhero!"

The other siblings all glanced at each other. Klaus had been taking about the Addams more and more nowadays, often referring to them as his family.

It was like he'd forgotten about them.

"Yeah… I'm sure they'll be very proud." Allison shakily smiled at her brother, "Very, very proud."

Klaus returned the smile with a beam, turning his attention to Five, "Go on then, what have you found?"

"… Found?" Five looked taken aback.

"About my parents? Our little genius would have found them by, now right?"

Whilst he'd managed to school his expression into something a little more neutral, Five was panicking on the inside. How could he tell Klaus that he hadn't even touched the files on the Addams for weeks.

"It's… a slow-going process." He eventually stated, wincing as Klaus frowned at him.

"But…. I thought you promised to help me find them?"

"Why do you even need to find them anyway?" Ben suddenly blurted out, "It's not like they've spent years looking for you."

"Ben!" Everyone protested, turning to their brother, who ignored them and the hurt look on Klaus's face.

"We're your family!" Ben growled, "We've always been your family, why do you feel the need to run off and find these people?"

"Oh please!" Klaus growled, "Family? Before all this time-travel shit, I was nothing more than your useless drug addict of a brother! Nobody actually thought about why I took drugs, you just saw me as- "

"- Don't say it!"

"A WHORE!" Klaus screamed, not caring who heard, "I WAS JUST YOUR WHORISH, DRUG-ADDICTED BROTHER WHO WAS ONLY USEFUL AS A LOOK-OUT!"

At the sudden eruption of anger, everything in the room shattered, glass from pictures hung on the wall falling onto the siblings as they shrieked in alarm. Without giving them a chance to speak, Klaus stormed out of the room.

He didn't need them.

He never needed them.


	6. Chapter 6

"… And there's been a lack of the Séance at the most recent Umbrella academy cases. When pressed, this is what the others had to say."

Klaus rolled his eyes as his siblings gave the basic excuses.

He was injured.

He was working on another case.

Blah, blah, blah!

Getting more and more annoyed, Klaus yelped when the TV exploded with a loud POP, causing him to growl in frustration.

"What's the point." He groaned, "What's the actual point!"

The research into his family was scattered all over his room, and he had yet to get any further with it, but he was too stubborn to go to the others' for help.

He was so confused and conflicted, and it showed.

He wanted to find his real family, he wanted to meet them and be a part of their lives… but he didn't want to abandon his siblings like that.

Turning over on his bed, he buried his face in his pillow and screamed, coming up for a breath a few moments later. Deciding that he needed a soothing bath, he then got to his feet and moved to leave… only to spot a familiar figure on the opposite side of the street.

"Isn't that that Dave bloke." Uncle Vlad asked, making Klaus jump.

His ghost uncle had been curiously silent for the last few days, sending Klaus the occasional worried look every so often.

"Yeah…" Klaus whispered, suddenly feeling a little lighter, "… Yeah, it is."

"Why is he hanging around- Klaus, wait!"

Klaus was already running out of his room, not caring if he was heard by his siblings, as he raced down the stairs and out of the building.

He didn't see the figure watching him from the top of the stairs.

…..

"Hey!"

Dave jumped as Klaus bounced over to him, a beaming grin on his face.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"I was… in the area." Dave shrugged, the lie coming to his lips easily, "I didn't know you lived around here, where are the others?"

Klaus scowled, "Who needs them."

Stunned slightly into an awkward silence, Dave nervously cleared his throat. "Okay… I've been hearing about everything you children have been doing and- "

"- You're impressed?" Klaus puffed out his chest proudly.

"Yes… and a little bit concerned."

Klaus frowned, "Concerned?"

"Well, you are just children. I don't think children should be allowed to fight… monsters like that."

"Oh, we're fine." Klaus waved off the concerns, "We're superheroes!"

"Hmm, and what do you do on your days off?"

"… Days off?"

Dave sent him a sympathetic smile, "Well, how about we consider this a day off? You can play hooky this afternoon."

"So… I can spend the afternoon with you if I want?"

"If you really want?"

Klaus beamed up at him, "I want. I really want."

…..

"You really didn't have to buy me pizza you know." Klaus hopped down the stairs, "Not that I'm not grateful, but- "

"- I don't mind." Dave chuckled.

"I know… and you didn't have to take me to that show either."

"It's a crime that you've never seen a Broadway show. You did enjoy it didn't you?"

"Yeah! Yeah! I did! I did!"

As Dave headed down the steps first, Klaus winced as Uncle Vlad hissed in his ear.

"You can't trust him!"

"Shut up." Klaus hissed back, as quietly as he could, thankfully that Dave was too far ahead to hear him.

"Seriously. What man hangs out with a young boy he's not related to, if not for- "

"- I know what those men are like." Klaus hissed, "All too well, and Dave is not like that."

"… But he's not your Dave either."

When Klaus didn't reply, Uncle Vlad moved to nudge him, temporarily forgetting that he would just go through the boy.

Well, he usually did.

Taken aback by the sensation of someone nudging him in the side, Klaus yelped and jumped, losing his balance and falling forwards. Expecting to hit his head on the stone steps, Klaus closed his eyes, waiting for the pain.

He knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself in time.

And then he felt warm arms wrap around him.

"Are you alright?" Dave placed him back on his feet.

"Y-Yeah I just… tripped." Klaus moved to take a step, only to gasp and wince in pain, "And twisted my ankle."

"Come on then. Let's go and sit down." Dave helped him over to bench, where Klaus removed his shoe and sock, examining the slightly swollen joint, "Do you have problems like that often? Weak ankles?"

"My ankles aren't weak!" Klaus pouted, "And no… this usually doesn't happen." The words were said with a glare at Uncle Vlad, who did look a little sorry.

"No weaknesses at all?"

"Nope." Klaus beamed, "Consider me perfect!"

Dave couldn't help but chuckle at the confidence, only to wince as a sharp pain shot through his head, images flashing through his mind.

A young man possibly only a little younger than him was smiling up at him.

/ "Davey, Davey, Davey… hasn't anyone told you I'm a mess?"

"I think you're perfect… Klaus." \\\

"-AVE! DAVE!"

Opening his eyes (not actually remembering having closed them), Dave shot to his feet at how close Klaus was, heading over to one of the fountains.

"You know…" He heard Klaus speak up nervously behind him, "… When I was a kid…. Younger I-I mean. I would have given anything to be like everyone else. Just a normal kid you know… silly right?" The teen chuckled, "It's like saying I wanted to be petty and dishonest."

Dave frowned, "Not everybody is like that."

"Yeah, they are."

"… Are you saying I'm like that?"

Klaus hesitated for a moment, before lowering his gaze and shaking his head, "Alright." He muttered, "Most people are like that, but with you… I don't feel like I'm a burden. I feel… wanted."

"But, all your brothers and sisters- "

"- Think I'm worthless." Klaus scowled, "I'm fed up of being hurt by then."

Dave was silent for a few moments, before he moved to kneel in front of Klaus, "You know… they don't mean to hurt you, right? Kids… don't often think before they speak."

"I know, but- "

"- KLAUS!"

Someone grabbed Dave by the back of the collar, throwing him to the left, knocking all the breath out of him.

"Klaus, what were you thinking?" One of his sisters got up in Klaus's face, "I thought you'd changed? We thought you were trying to be better!"

"I- "

"- What are you insinuating?" Dave frowned at the tone in the girl's voice, "What do you think was happening?"

"Why else would a fully-grown man hang around a teenage boy?" One of the brothers answered, the teleporting one.

"We weren't doing that!" Klaus immediately protested, "I needed to get out of the house, and he helped! Nothing more!"

"Can you honestly say he wasn't going to try something though?" Another brother, the one with knives, spoke up, "And would you have said no?"

"Especially because he looks like- "The Asian boy cut himself off, with a guilty look at Dave.

"I would never do that!" Dave frowned, "How dare you- I would never do that to anyone, let alone Klaus!"

None of them seemed to believe him, judging by the looks on their faces.

However, before they could protest, Klaus pushed himself to his feet and pushed past them, dodging any attempts to pull him back. He stopped in front of Dave and sighed wearily, "I'm sorry about them." He sighed, loud enough to be heard, "Some people know how to ruin a good time."

"Enough Klaus!" The boy who'd thrown Dave snapped, "We're going home."

"Fuck off Luther."

Begrudgingly, Klaus headed back over to his siblings, and they headed off, leaving Dave behind.

…..

As soon as they got home, Klaus stormed to his room, barricading it so that none of his siblings could enter, even pushing Uncle Vlad and the other ghosts away until he was totally alone.

This whole time travel thing sucked!

Burying his face in his pillow, Klaus screamed. He finally got Dave back, and they were forced to remain apart just because of his physical age.

"Why does this always happen to me!" He groaned, pushing himself into a seated position, "Fall in love once and he gets shot, fall in love again and you're a fucking child!"

He sighed and flopped back down on the bed. "Love sucks."


	7. Chapter 7

"So? What are they hiding?"

Dave frowned as Reginald strode over to him, "I-I'm sorry?"

"The children! What are they hiding?!"

The frown deepened, "I… I thought you wanted me to talk them out of the whole hero business, which I did try to do, but- "

"- You idiot!" Reginald snapped, cutting Dave off, "How have you learnt nothing?!"

Slowly, Dave started to shake his head. "Is that why you hired me? So, you can spy on your own children? You don't want them to stop being heroes at all, do you?!"

…

Ben frowned at the raised voices coming from his Father's study, pressing himself up against the wall.

"- my employee. When I say jump, you say how high and when I send you to spend time with my children, I expect you to tell me everything about them!"

Feeling a little bit sick (or maybe that was just the Horror's rising anger), Ben darted away from the office. "I knew it…" He whispered quietly to himself, "… Oh Klaus… this is going to break him."

Without hearing the rest of the conversation, he raced off to try and find the others.

…..

"I'm not going to help you hurt them!" Dave snapped.

"Them… or him?"

Dave knew who Mister Hargreeves was referring to and straightened up. "You are determined to hurt them, and I won't let you do that."

"And yet, it's Number Four that you've taken an interest in?" Reginald waved his hand to stop Dave from interrupting, "Don't worry, I'm aware of how pretty Number Four was. You'd be blind not to notice."

"You're sick!"

When Reginald just smirked, Dave found his temper bubbling over. "They're not hiding anything!" He snapped, "Except maybe the desire for a normal fricking life! They're just children! They don't have any so-called weaknesses! They just want to be children!"

"No weaknesses?" Reginald frowned to himself, "Clearly, you've not been paying close enough attention." Before Dave could say anything in reply, the older man grabbed him by the chin and forced him to look him in the eyes, "They have such a hero complex."

The meaning was clear.

…..

Ben didn't know how long he stood there, staring at Klaus closed door…. Klaus was already in a foul mood with them, and this wasn't going to help.

"Klaus?" He cautiously knocked at the door, "Klaus… can I speak to you?"

"… One minute."

There was the sound of something being dragged away from the door, before it opened just a peep, which Ben took to mean 'come in.' When he entered, he spotted Klaus sitting on his bed, nervously nibbling at his bottom lip.

"Klaus… you know I love you, right?"

Klaus narrowed in eyes in suspicion.

"I-I need to talk to you about Dave."

Groaning, Klaus flopped back onto his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes, "Nothing happened between us! Nothing is going to happen between us, until I get out of this stupid, kid body! You guys need to give it a rest!"

"Klaus- "

"- Leave me alone!"

"Klaus, you need to- "

"- Go!"

"Listen to me!" Ben begged, "Please listen, David's- "

"- He's not a pervert! Don't you dare tell me that he's a pervert!"

"I know, but he is- " Ben cut himself off, not wanting to say it, not wanting to see Klaus's heart broken like that, "- He's not what you think he is."

Klaus glanced over at him, one eyebrow raised.

"He's been playing with you since day one Klaus."

"… That's not funny."

"I'm not joking!"

"Look, I know you're upset about today, but you can't just- "

"- Klaus, please- "

"- I know he's not my Dave, but maybe, one day I can- "

"- Love him? He doesn't love you!" Ben felt his temper start to rise.

"You're just jealous!"

"He's nothing but a two-timing- "

"- Shut up- "

"- no good, lying, scheming- "

"- SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

At Klaus's sudden explosion of anger, there was a wave of blue light, slamming Ben against the wall. Seconds later, tentacles shot out from Ben stomach, pinning Klaus against the wall, destroying several things in the process.

Second later, the other ported into the room, looking at the scene in horror.

"I heard a rumour you stopped fighting!" Allison cried out in alarm, watching as the tentacles shrank back, and both boys collapsed to the ground.

Klaus was the first to recover, pushing himself to his feet, keeping his eyes on the ground.

Ben took a little longer, eyes wide in shock as he stared at Klaus. The stunned look soon faded away into disappointment, as he too, pushed himself to his feet. "Fine." He hissed, "You don't want to listen to me anyone, fine!"

Ben stormed out, leaving a tense silence behind him.

When it was clear that Klaus wasn't going to say anything, the others all headed out of the room as well, leaving Klaus alone.

Not even Uncle Vlad came back.

The minutes passed until Klaus felt like he'd been standing in that same spot for hours. Before he could move back to his bed and stay there for the rest of eternity, there was a knock on the door.

"Master Klaus." Pogo called out, "Your Father wishes to see you in his study."

And that, was the perfect end to the day.

"Now?"

"I'm afraid so Master Klaus."

….…

Klaus trudged to Reginald's study as slowly as he could.

Was this it?

Had he found out about the research they'd been doing on the Addams?

Slowly, he knocked on the door and waited to be allowed inside.

"Enter."

Klaus made his way inside, trying not to wince at the sight of Reginald sitting behind his desk.

"This won't take long Number Four. I've found myself… troubled by recent events."

"Troubled?"

"… You children have been working hard on your missions. You all deserve a little break."

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "What's the catch?"

"So suspicious." Reginald spread his arms out, "I do care for you children, after all."

"No, you don't… which means that you have a plan, and I'm not going along with it." Klaus turned, moving to head out of the door.

"I thought you might say that." Reginald sighed, stopped Klaus in his tracks, "Which is why I have a little bit of leverage you might want to know about." He gestured for Klaus to follow him, heading outside and into the family graveyard, where the mausoleum sat.

"If you think you can just throw me in there and expect me to- "Klaus stopped as Reginald opened the large doors up, to reveal and familiar but bruised figure.

"Dave!"

"MMMM!"

"LET HIM GO!" Klaus turned to Reginald, sending a blast of power his way, only for it to disappear into nothingness.

"Here's the deal…" Reginald acted as though Klaus hadn't moved, "… You give up your powers for twenty-four hours and I'll let Dave leave intact."

"…. Why?" Klaus fought not to cry, "Why are you doing this?"

"Things were meant to happen in a certain order…. And order which has somehow been disturbed. I suspect you and your siblings are behind it all, which is why I have to fix it."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Reginald rolled his eyes, "You've never been a very good liar Number Four, it's best not to try now. Now, do we have a deal?"

Klaus glanced over at Dave, biting his bottom lip nervously, before turning back to Reginald, "You've got to swear that he won't be hurt in the twenty-four hours."

"… Fine." Reginald smirked, making a vague gesture with his hands as a pale figure dressed all in white slunk out of the shadows, "We'll make it a condition of the deal. If he gets hurt in the next twenty-four hours, then your abilities will be returned to you."

"Who- who is this?"

Reginald glanced at the figure by his side, "I can't quite remember what number we're up to." He admitted, "I've sent so many of your siblings after you seven, that it's impossible to keep track."

It was like being hit with lightening.

"Those creatures… they were like us?" Klaus stammered, "They were the other children?"

"Meet Number 23." Reginald smirked, "Fascinating abilities. He makes… deals, so to speak. Whatever you want for a small price. David's safety, for your powers, for the limited time of twenty-four hours."

Klaus glanced over at Dave, who shook his head frantically. "Fine…" He sighed wearily, holding out a hand towards Number 23, who silently took it, clasping Klaus's hand tight as a bright light filled the air and Klaus started to fall to his knees.

He felt like his very life was being sucked from his body, bones seeming to turn to jelly as he collapsed to the ground weakly. As he tried to get back to his feet, Klaus winced as his knees wobbled dangerously under him.

It was quiet.

It was far too quiet.

"You may be feeling a little queasy Number Four, a perfectly natural response." Reginald sneered, "Maybe you should just sit down!"

He struck the back of Klaus's knees with his cane, watching as Klaus collapsed once again.

"And now you're just like everybody else." Reginald sighed, "You had these powers and now you're giving them up for someone who will never like you back." He gestured again, and someone else crept out of the shadows.

This one looked a lot more confident, almost clinging to Reginald as they sneered down at Klaus.

"Meet Zero." Reginald introduced, moving inside to pull Dave out of the mausoleum and freeing him, "A deal is a deal David. You may leave." He then turned to Klaus, "You were too blind to see it, weren't you Number Four. And here I though the lack of drugs might make you smarter."

"W-what are you talking about?" Klaus frowned.

Something was wrong with this entire conversation.

"Zero here, has the ability to pull people out of any time, from any place." Reginald ignored his son, "Such as… Vietnam, one week before David met the… love of his life."


	8. Chapter 8

"…. one week before David met the… love of his life."

Klaus felt like his heart was sinking to his stomach. This… couldn't be happening.

This couldn't be true

"You… how did you- " Klaus shook his head in denial, "- How did you know?"

"You can't keep any secrets from me Number Four."

"Klaus- "David frowned in confusion, "- What is he talking about?"

"I'm sure you two have plenty to talk about." Reginald smirked, "Why don't I leave you to it."

Gesturing for the other two children to follow him, Reginald left, not noticing how Klaus fell to his knees, sobs rocking his slim shoulders.

…

"Create as much havoc as you can." Reginald ordered the others he'd managed to find, "I want the Umbrella Academy to realise that they are not in control around here."

….

Diego groaned at the loud rumbling that seemed to echo up and down the street, slowly rubbing his eyes and glancing out of the window.

Chaos.

"Oh, that's not good!" Diego exclaimed in alarm, leaping to his feet in complete panic, "Very much not good!"

He raced into the corridor, where the others (with the exception of Klaus and Ben) were gathered.

"I guess you guys heard that as well?" He asked, already shoving his mask on, "Where's Ben?"

"He's still in his room after his argument with Klaus." They all raced towards the door, "He'll come if we really need help."

And with that, they raced out of the door, completely ignorant to the situation going on in their Father's office.

….

Klaus couldn't ignore the sounds outside, moving to the window.

It was still too quiet.

As he moved to the door, Dave grabbed his arm. "Klaus…" He whispered, "… I don't know what your Father was talking about, when he mentioned taking me from… somewhere else, but I do understand that he took your powers, and without them, you'll be killed!"

"I wonder if that's still hard to do." Klaus mused to himself, ignoring Dave and continuing to move out of the room.

"Klaus, no! Stop!"

But Klaus was already gone, grabbing his mask along the way.

….

"What the hell are these things?!" Diego yelped, ducking as some sort of fog monster swiped at him, "How many are there?"

"Too many!" Five answered, legs shaking in exhaustion, "And they don't seem to be getting tired at all."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, all ready to collapse.

And then Luther spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Klaus?"

The creatures all seemed to stop in their tracks, turning towards the streets, where a familiar figure was staring at them. In unison, they all seemed to chuckle, before one sent Klaus flying into a nearby billboard with a decisive backhand.

The other children were all frozen in shock.

…

Dave winced, watching as the other siblings rushed over to Klaus.

He had to do something.

Running through the home, he started knocking on all the doors, hoping that someone was available, somewhere.

Knocking on one door, one with a crudely drawn 6 on it, Dave was shocked as it swung open, to reveal another sibling lying on the bed.

"Hey." He nervously spoke up, before clearing his throat and straightening up, "You need to get out there. Klaus is in trouble and he needs help!"

"Why does he need me, when he's got 'friends' like you?!"

"He won't listen to me!"

"Finally!" The boy scoffed, "He's learnt something."

"Look…" Dave sighed, "… if you don't help him, he'll die. Do you really want that on your conscious?"

"Klaus can't die."

"You really want to bet on that?"

…

Klaus grunted and groaned as the creatures (no… children) that his father had managed to find, treated him like a damn football, kicking him from one end of the street to the other.

His other siblings were all scattered around him, barely able to move from their own injuries.

"Klaus!" He heard a familiar voice cry out, prompting him to look up and sigh in relief at the tentacles that were knocking the others away.

"Hey Benny." He whispered weakly, allowing himself to be helped into a seated position.

"Klaus!" Ben scanned him from head to toe, "Come on Klaus, you can take them!"

"No, I can't." Klaus whispered, glancing down at his hands, "He took my powers…. I'm useless once again."

"Klaus, you were never useless!" Ben exclaimed, ignoring the disbelieving look on his brother's face, "And I'm sorry if you ever felt that way, but you were never useless!"

"Ben- "

"- You were the only one who ever made us feel like maybe, life was worth living."

"I was HIGH, that was the only reason I was so happy." Klaus scoffed.

"You were our glue long before you found the drugs."

Klaus smiled gratefully, but before he could say anything, something suddenly grabbed by the leg and yanked him into the air.

"KLAUS!"

Seconds later, tentacles shot forwards, impaling several of the creatures at the same time, including the one currently holding Klaus.

For a moment, all was silent as Klaus panted heavily, unaware that he was still in danger.

"KLAUS!"


	9. Chapter 9

"KLAUS!"

There was a rumbling from above, before Klaus felt someone shove him violently to one side, sending him rolling along the floor just as someone hit the space where he once was.

Spinning around, Klaus felt the air leave his body as he spotted a familiar hand sticking out from under a pile of rubble.

"DAVE! NO!" He screamed in desperation, rushing over and removing as many bricks and boulders as he could, until he got to one that was about ten times his own weight.

"Come on…" He muttered to himself, "… come on!"

Suddenly, it felt like his skin was knitting back together, the aches and pains disappearing as the piece of rubble floated high into the air, gasping in relief as ghosts cheered all around him.

"What the- "

Dave smiled weakly up at him, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. "Y-Your Dad made a promise, remember, with Number 23? If I got hurt, all your powers would be returned to you."

"Dave!" Throwing the rubble to one side, he gently lifted the older man's head onto his lap, "Why did you- why the fuck- "

"- I-I wasn't going to watch you die." Dave whispered, "At least… I-I won't leave you, right?"

"No, no, no, no!" Klaus begged, "It won't be the same. It's never the same! Please just- "

It was too late. Dave's hand went limp in Klaus's grip, and everything fell silent.

"Dave…" Klaus whimpered, dropping the hand and glancing around, scanning the crowd of ghosts surrounding them, desperately searching for that familiar face.

Nothing.

The other siblings all bowed their heads in grief as Klaus started to sob bitterly, beating his hands on Dave's unmoving chest, as though that would bring him back.

Almost five minutes passed in complete silence, broken only by the sound of muted sobbing.

"Klaus…" Ben placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "… I'm sorry."

"I want him b-back! Bring h-him back!"

"Klaus… We can't."

There was a moment of silence, before Klaus pushed himself to his feet.

"No… but I know someone who can."

…..

Number 23 yelped as they were pinned up against a nearby wall, Luther lifting them up off their feet.

"We have a deal to make with you." Klaus's face was still stained with tears, but his voice remained completely steady, "A life for a life."

Number 23 snarled, "Let me guess… you want to exchange your Father's with that Dave?!"

"No."

The other siblings all turned to Klaus in shock. That was what he'd told them.

"No?" Number 23 was intrigued, "Then what's the plan?"

"You get to kill me… and my father. At the same time, two for the price of one." Klaus frowned, "You can't tell me he's treated you brilliantly since he found you."

"Found me?" Number 23 scowled, "You mean took me from the only good family I had."

"So…" Allison frowned, "… why can't you just kill him?"

"Because my powers don't work without someone offering something up in return!" Number 23 snarled, "Or else I would have!" He then turned to Klaus, "Why kill yourself in the process though? I can exchange your Father's life for your boyfriends'."

"… Because there's something I need to do."

Number 23 stared at him for a few moments, before shrugging and holding out his hand. "Deal."

Before anyone could stop him, Klaus grabbed the boy's hand, and everything went black.

…..

"You didn't have to do that you know."

Klaus smirked at the little girl, rocking back and forth as she glared at him.

"Why would you make a deal like that?"

"Because I need to make sure Daddy Dearest goes to Hell."

She rolled her eyes, "You and I both know that Hell doesn't really exist… why are you really here?"

"Because I want to make a deal with you."

….…

Five was the first to realise that something was happening, grabbing a hold of Vanya's hand as the world shimmered all around them.

"What's happening?!" Allison screamed, clutching onto Luter, whose other hand was on Ben's shoulder, watching as the Horror clung onto Klaus's limp body.

"I've got money on Klaus!" Diego called out, "I can guarantee, this is all to do with him!"

The world seemed to spin all around them, much like it had when they originally time-travelled back to this year… and then, everything went black.

….…..

When they next woke up, they were all amazed to see that they were back in their original bodies…. The world was intact and when Allison opened her mouth to speak, she was thrilled to see that she still could.

"What… what happened?" Vanya asked.

"Sorry." A familiar voice spoke him behind them, prompting them to spin around, "That's my bad."

Ben was the first to reach Klaus, grabbing him and spinning him around…. Only to realise that he still could.

"Yeah, that was another part of the deal." Klaus beamed, "I wasn't going to let her kill my favourite brother again."

"What deal?" Five spoke up, a frown on his face as he examined his new, older body, "And who's 'she'?"

"God…. Duh" Klaus shrugged, "As for the deal… well, in order to fix everything and make sure Dad gets sent to where he really belongs, I… gave up part of my powers."

"… Which part?" Luther was the first to speak up.

"The whole… resurrection, immortality thing." Klaus shrugged again, "Nothing major."

"KLAUS!"

"It's fine! It's fine!" Klaus looked around, "I still have all the ghosts to keep me company."

"And… Dave?"

Klaus's face dropped, "He was… he was removed from the original timeline, so she… had to put him back."

"Oh… Klaus- "

"-It's fine, it's fine." Klaus waved a hand in dismissal, "It's not like we could have done anything anyway…. He's, well he won't be happier in the Vietnam war, but at least he wasn't crushed by a building back then."

"Klaus, why would you do this?"

"… People do crazy things for family, right?"

"I think the quote is, people do crazy things when they're in love."

"Sssh." Allison hissed at Five, "He's opening up to us finally."

For the next few seconds, there was silence, the world hustling and bustling around them as though nothing had ever happened.

"So…" Diego glanced around nervously, "… what do we do now?"

"Well, Mother's still alive." Klaus piped up, "We can go and see her and Pogo?"

Vanya tensed up briefly at the mention of Pogo, but after spending several months in the past, she had gotten over the hurt.

"And then?"

Before Klaus could answer, Five spoke up. "Then we find Klaus's family… we have better access to resources now."

Klaus stared at Five in shock, turning his gaze to his siblings who were all nodding in agreement.

"You- you really think they'll want to see me?" Klaus nervously whispered, "It's been… years and years now since I was taken."

"They're your parents." Allison pulled her brother into a hug, "Why wouldn't they want you?"

"… Do you want the list in alphabetical or chronological order?"

"Come on." Five cuffed Klaus around the back of his head, "Let's get to work."

…..…

Five was right.

It didn't take long for Five to find out where the Addams where staying now, which led to where they were now.

Standing outside a terrifyingly large house, that looked like it had come right out of a fifty's horror film.

Klaus actually really liked it.

"Well… this is it." Five sounded a little down… more so than usual, "Come on."

They headed up the path, only for Klaus to grab Ben's arm, stopping in his tracks. "Maybe… maybe this isn't such a good idea."

They all turned to face him, frowning as they noticed how his eyes darted around frantically, a stunned look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"The…ghosts." Klaus spluttered, "They're all… cheering and whooping!" He then turned to his right, where the others presumed Uncle Vlad was standing, "Oh… they're the rest of the Addams family."

As if on cue, the front door of the creepy home slammed open, and a large man (who towered above even Luther), stepped out and beckoned them forwards.

"Come Inside." He stated, before moving to head back into the house.

Slowly, the seven young people followed, eyes widening at the sight of all the weapons along the wall.

"Is it wrong that I actually find this a little exciting?" Klaus whispered, glancing over his shoulder as the large entourage of ghosts followed them inside.

They were led to a large sitting room, where a man and woman were seated on the sofa, other couples on chairs around them, children playing in front of them.

Everything fell silent.

Slowly, the woman rose to her feet and made her way over, as the small group pushed Klaus forwards.

"Klaus…" she whispered, as the rest of the room gasped in astonishment, "… Can it really be- "She gently ran her fingers through his curls, and then across his cheeks, "My little ghost-whisperer."

"… Mum?"

She pulled him into a hug, as the man shot to his feet and rushed over, "I knew it!" He wrapped his arms around the pair of them, "I knew he'd comeback to us! Didn't I say he would? Fester! You owe me!"

As the other Addams' all swarmed around Klaus, the other Hargreaves children hung back, sad looks on their faces.

They knew this was going to hurt.

"Come on." Allison whispered, "We should give them some time alone."

They turned to leave, meaning that they completely missed Klaus twisting around to beam at them… only to see them walking away.

"Wait!" he cried out, running over and latching onto Ben, "Where are you guys going?"

"We were…" Ben paused, turning to Vanya waiting for her to continue the sentence.

"We just wanted to give you and… your parents some time alone." She whispered.

Before Klaus could say anything, his Mother straightened up, "Nonsense. Any friend of Klaus's is a friend of ours." She then narrowed her eyes, "Maybe more than friends?"

Almost immediately, five of them started to protest loudly, and honestly, Klaus couldn't help but feel a little insulted.

They'd be lucky to have him.

"We're his brothers and sisters." Ben's voice rose high above the others, as he stepped closer, "We're family."

Morticia Addams swept her eyes over the now-silent group, before a soft smile appeared on her face. "Very well… then you're our family as well." She glanced over at her husband, who spread his arms out wide and beamed at them.

"Welcome to the Addams family!"

…..…..

Dave still didn't understand why he'd accepted this invitation.

Him and Wednesday were old college friends yes, but after he was almost eaten by the garden last time, he vowed to never go back to that house.

But apparently, he just had to meet her new brother.

So far though, he hadn't moved from this corner. He'd seen a man larger than a gorilla, a knife throwing contest between the Addams boys and a newcomer, the actress Allison Hargreaves (and who knew she knew the Addams?), a man teleporting from room to room, a large mug of coffee in his hand, a boy with tentacles and a girl with white pupils.

It was taking him some time to get used to it all.

"WATCH OUT!"

Dave didn't react in time as he was bowled over by two cousins, fumbling to catch himself as they both yelled out their apologies, continuing on their way.

It didn't stop him from landing on his ass too.

"Hey, what are you doing sitting there?" A hand with HELLO tattooed on the palm reached out and helped him to his feet, "You look a little- "

Their eyes met and the man froze in place.

He was bewitching. Gorgeous eyes framed by dark eyeliner, dark, curly hair hung messily around his face. The top buttons of a tight, black shirt were entirely neglected and those pants were… tight…. Very, very tight.

He was possibly the most gorgeous person Dave had ever seen in his life.

"I'm Dave!" He blurted out eagerly, beaming when the other man smirked.

"I know… you can call me Klaus. Klaus Addams."


End file.
